Dentures are substitutes used in place of teeth that are missing from your mouth. These are removable replacements for the missing teeth and the surrounding gums. Generally, dentures can be of two types, complete and partial. Complete dentures are the full replacement of teeth as a whole which are placed and can be removed from the mouth. Partial dentures are replacements for any specific regions of removed or missing teeth that need to be replaced while some natural teeth are still in place.

Complete Dentures Complete dentures, as described, is a whole set of teeth that is placed in the mouth after the removal of all the teeth from your mouth. These are further subcategorized into two types, immediate and conventional dentures. Conventional dentures are prepared according to the needs of the customer and are made after the removal of all the teeth from the patient’s mouth. These types of dentures can take around 8 to 12 weeks after the removal of teeth to be made. Immediate dentures are made beforehand and are placed in the patient’s mouth just after the removal of the original set of teeth. This type of denture is more acceptable as compared to the conventional ones because the patient doesn’t have to wait during the healing process, and the dentures can immediately be fitted just after the removal. However, there is a problem. After the removal of original teeth, there is a change in the morphology of the bone resulting in shape change and shrinkage of the gums and surroundings, which can have an impact on the dentures’ fit and can result in inconvenience because they might need fitting again after the initial fitting.

Partial Dentures Partial dentures are the replacement of teeth at a single point. Unlike complete dentures, partial dentures are made specifically for the removed teeth and are only applied in cases where a number of natural teeth are already available in the mouth. Partial dentures are made with a plastic base, which is then fitted on a metallic frame that clips onto the neighboring teeth.

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What Can You Not Eat With Dentures? Eating with a new set of teeth will be difficult. A newly installed set of teeth in the patient’s mouth can cause some inconvenience for a short period of time, and it can take a while for the patient to get used to the dentures. Because whatever good placement is done, it cannot mimic the natural thing and the feel of the natural teeth. After the installation of dentures, the patient needs to start first with a softer diet and cut food into smaller pieces. Consumption of smaller-sized food substances and easy-to-chew stuff can be very helpful in getting the patient accustomed to the dentures' feel. Then gradually, the soft-feel foods are replaced with food that is a bit harder, and a good amount of time is required for the patient to come to a normal diet.

Things to be avoided with dentures are hot foods at this training time. The dentures are freshly placed, and they need some time to settle into their place so that they are hard enough to come into contact with any temperature, which will then not affect the dentures and not cause any inconvenience for the patient. Food with sharp edges and pointy bones should be avoided for the first few weeks, and anything hard enough that can damage the dentures should also be avoided. Extremely sticky foods should also be avoided while dentures are in place because sticky foods like candies can cause misplacement of the dentures. Bubble gums should also be avoided with dentures. Avoid using any toothpicks while the patient has their dentures in place in the mouth.

Are Dentures Comfortable? Dentures are not very comfortable in the beginning. Any artificial replacement of teeth in your mouth is uncomfortable. However, with time and advancements in technology, dentures have become more comfortable, and the dentures are much better now as compared to the conventional ones which were available for the teeth before. The main concern with dentures is the problem with chewing food. Dentures can cause obstruction in chewing certain foods, and the dentures don’t allow the person to chew everything that the patient was able to chew with a healthy set of teeth. Another concern with dentures is speaking. Dentures can cause restriction of the area present for your tongue in speech production, and the dentures can cause a very serious obstruction in speech at first. Other than that, saliva production is also a very common problem with dentures. The presence of a foreign object in your mouth activates the salivary glands, and this can result in excessive saliva in the mouth, which again is inconvenient for the patient.

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Dentures? PROS -Aesthetic; dentures are nicer looking, and even if the person getting dentures had bad teeth naturally, they can get a new beautiful and flawless set of teeth. -Low maintenance; dentures are very easy to carry around, and not much maintenance is required for taking care of the dentures. They are easily applied and removed. -Work for everyone; dentures can be placed in almost anyone’s mouth no matter how bad or deformed their teeth were before the denture's placement. CONS -Frequent replacements; dentures can wear with time and can need to be replaced from time to time. -Removable; although removability of dentures is a very big plus point, it can sometimes be problematic because, although removable, dentures can be misplaced or damaged in the process. -Multiple procedures; if a patient wants to get dentures, they will have to set multiple appointments with their dentist because making and applying dentures is a multi-step process. It can be needed for the patient to come in for the procedure again and again.

If you have dentures, they will last you a long time, but visiting your dentist every 6 months is highly recommended so that you don’t get some serious problems. Getting yourself checked from time to time by a professional is good for your health. Taking good care of oral hygiene is also highly recommended.